
With the exception of the samples from Louisiana, banded samples 
representing southern States that are important harvest areas were 
virtually absent. All except a very few of the birds banded in 
Louisiana were recovered in Louisiana, suggesting that birds banded 
in southern States contribute very little to the kill outside the 
State of banding. Much more late summer banding would be needed 
in the important southern wintering areas to verify this possibility. 
Also, if all production areas were represented by banded samples, it 
might be possible to estimate the fraction of the total wood duck 
kill in wintering areas that represented locally produced birds. 
DIRECT RECOVERY RATES 
Annual Changes in Recovery Rate 
Recovery rates in Vermont and New York were lower in 1959-60 than 
they were in 1958 (table 2) even though the daily bag limit was 
higher - two birds in 1959-60 and one bird in 1958. No change in 
recovery rates between 1959 and 1960 is noted for the Mississippi 
Flyway States. However, sample sizes were too small to detect other 
than great changes. 
Recovery Rates of Locals and Immatures 
In most areas, there was a much lower recovery rate from birds 
banded as flightless immatures (locals) than from birds banded as 
flying immatures. In Ohio, the banding of 676 locals resulted in 16 
recoveries (2.4 percent), whereas 102 immatures yielded six recoveries 
(5.9 percent). In Louisiana, there were no recoveries of 68 banded 
locals, whereas 478 immatures had a 6.3 percent recovery rate. In 
Indiana, only one recovery resulted from 93 banded locals (1.1 percent), 
whereas 391 immatures had a 6.4 percent recovery rate. In Wisconsin, 
in contrast, the banding of 145 locals yielded a recovery rate of 11.0 
percent, whereas 2,172 immatures had a 9.3 percent recovery rate. The 
causes of the extremely low recovery rate of locals that appears in 
most areas are unknown. However, a relatively high mortality rate 
among flightless birds seems likely. 
Regional Differences in Recovery Rates 
Regional differences in recovery rates of immature wood ducks 
appear to be associated with differences in the opening dates of 
the hunting season. In 1959 and 1960, the northern States of Minne- 
sota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Vermont had opening dates from October 
7 to 10. A middle tier of States, including Iowa, Illinois, Ohios 
and New York, had later opening dates (October 14 to 30). Indiana, 
Missouri, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Louisiana had the latest 
opening dates (November 4 to 30). Recovery rates of immatures for 
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